Dangerous Games

THERE'S NO LEAVING THE PAST

The grating of the metal gate pulling back was loud enough for Samuel to hear it. He glanced at the clock on his desktop. It was a few minutes past seven. Kali had left earlier in the day to spend time with her sister, and she wasn't home when he returned from work. So much time had passed since he started working. It felt good having something to occupy the time.

The door opened moments later, and Kali bustled in, carrying various bags in both arms. She didn't notice him. Carefully placing the bags at the foot of the bed before laying them on the mattress. Once everything was out of the bags, she went to grab a few hangers from the wardrobe.

"Samuel!" she shrieked, stumbling back in shock when she turned to catch him watching her. "Why would you just sit there staring."

"I am surprised you didn't realise I was in here."

She regained her composure quickly. "I saw your car, but I didn't think you were in here."

"How did it go with your sister?"

"Great. We got some souvenirs for my aunt and my cousin. Then we stopped by an elegant clothing store to pick out some things for her to wear. We had lunch and stayed over at my apartment to watch a movie. It was fun."

"That's good. When does she leave? Are you going to take her to the airport?"

"Definitely, in two days."

Samuel arranged his files into several folders. He always cleared up the table in case Kali wanted to use it at any point in time. Kali had her own laptop, but most nights she worked from the desktop. They were trying to build a respectful relationship between them. That meant putting effort to get into fewer fights since they shared the same space several hours a day.

"My dad's exhibition will be on the 5th of next month. He thinks it's best to know ahead of time. You know, to prepare yourself for the event. Clothes, schedules, whatever needs to be taken care of."

"I'll mark the date down on the calendar then. Along with the party at the end of this month, the meet and greet with Daniel's parents in two weeks. Anything else?"

"We have a dinner on Saturday."

"Another one?" Kali was overwhelmed by the number of gatherings his family threw and attended. Samuel found it amusing since she seemed to handle everything else well. "What is this one about now?"

"My grandfather has recovered fully and was discharged from the hospital. My parents agreed we would throw a small family dinner so you two could meet."

She snorted, picking up a dress from the bed to string it on a hanger.

"Why can't your family do what Ember did. She drove over to her to say a simple hello. She didn't have to order champagne and prepare gourmet foods to do it."

"It's my grandfather. That's the main reason for the dinner." Samuel shrugged, taking a seat by the clothes. "He is very...he's...sort of...how do I put it? He is a special case."

"Claudius Devon, right?"

"Yes."

Kali carried the last of her clothes to the wardrobe without saying a word. Samuel studied the bags with disinterest. They sat by his feet, stacked closely to one another. One bag was turned the wrong way, with a piece of its logo peeking out from the side.

In stunned silence, he reached for the bag and lifted it up, searching for the brand name sewn into a small rectangular fabric on the inside.

"Where did you buy this?"

"From a store in the city, already said that. Met the owner and everything."

"Do you know what the FJ stands for?"